Fourth-generation cloned pigs in Japan

A geneticist in Japan claims his research team created
the world's first fourth-generation cloned pig.

The cloned pig was born at Tokyo's Meiji University in July. Hiroshi
Nagashima, the geneticist who led the project, said that previous attempts to
clone animals for several generations proved problematic.

He added
it that it could be due to scientific claims of genetic material in the nucleus
of the donor cell degrading with each successive generation.

Multiple generations
However,
Nagashima's team found that a large mammal can be cloned for multiple
generations (which is: a clone of a clone of a clone of a clone) without
degradation, acknowledging that the process had already been successful with
mice.

Akira Onishi, a geneticist from the
government-affiliated Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council, noted that
Nagashima's animal could be history's very first fourth-generation cloned pig. â€œI am
not aware of any other cases,â€ said Onishi.

Successs
â€œThe cloning success
rate has been rather low until now, regardless of species,â€ he added.
â€œResearchers have been trying to improve efficiency, but there hasn't been any
real progress. We needed to see this problem resolved.â€

It is an
achievement that could help scientists in medical and other research.